Asymptotic Behavior of an Elastic Satellite with Internal Friction

作者：Haus E; Bambusi D^*

来源：Mathematical Physics, Analysis and Geometry, 2015, 18(1): 14.

DOI：10.1007/s11040-015-9184-7

• Dynamics of an elastic satellite
• La Salle principle
• Spin orbit resonance

We study the dynamics of an elastic body whose shape and position evolve due to the gravitational forces exerted by a pointlike planet. The main result is that, if all the deformations of the satellite dissipate some energy, then under a suitable nondegeneracy condition there are only three possible outcomes for the dynamics: (i) the orbit of the satellite is unbounded, (ii) the satellite falls on the planet, (iii) the satellite is captured in synchronous resonance i.e. its orbit is asymptotic to a motion in which the barycenter moves on a circular orbit, and the satellite moves rigidly, always showing the same face to the planet. The result is obtained by making use of LaSalle's invariance principle and by a careful kinematic analysis showing that energy stops dissipating only on synchronous orbits. We also use in quite an extensive way the fact that conservative elastodynamics is a Hamiltonian system invariant under the action of the rotation group.

• 出版日期2015